The inauguration of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has left his opponents grappling with conflicting feelings of hope and disappointment, pondering why the leftist leader could not be stopped despite credible evidence that he had lost the election last year.

Maduro’s inauguration seals an election outcome that opposition politicians and the US government say was stolen.

Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year term on Friday, following an election that many in the international community and the opposition considered rigged.